Never Mind the Bollocks: A Legacy beyond the Music

By: Dakota T. Carlson

Many cite the Sex Pistols as the greatest punk rock band of all time. With the release of their first and only studio success “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols” in 1977, the world was shaken by the experience of the mighty punk movement. The Sex Pistols will forever be revered as the original fire starters of the punk subculture. In a recent lecture, the English Department’s own Dr. Rebekah Buchanan discussed a number of topics in relation to The Sex Pistols’ impact on pop-culture. From the controversial music that shook a generation to the band’s poisonous relationship with manager Malcolm McLaren, much to my personal pleasure, we discussed everything Sex Pistols.

It would be unjust of me to begin discussing the Sex Pistols without first addressing the music itself. During the lecture, I had the pleasure of experiencing “Never Mind the Bollocks” in the purity of vinyl for the first time. Many of the tracks discussed were played on an old model 328 record player. While in an hour presentation it would be impossible to make it through the album’s entirety, Buchanan highlighted some of the more controversy-driven tracks. She explored the themes behind various “Pistols” hits. Songs like “Anarchy in the U.K.,” “God Save the Queen,” “Bodies” and “Holidays in the Sun” and the instrumentation and lyrical content behind them were discussed. Whether it be a statement against Monarchy in “God Save the Queen,” raising the awareness of abortion in “Bodies,” or presenting issues with the division of the Berlin Wall in “Holidays in the Sun,” the lyrics of Johnny Rotten shook people to their very core. By listening to this record, one may never realize that the band was formed before any of its members could even play their chosen instruments (with the exception of Glen Matlock on bass).

Having been a longtime fan of the Sex Pistols, I knew prior to the presentation that manager Malcolm McLaren’s relationship with the band was very tainted. But, I did not truly realize just how manipulative and self-preserving McLaren was at the time. A struggling filmmaker at the time, McLaren saw the Sex Pistols as his golden ticket and took on a managerial role to the band. While youthful egos within the band clashed anyway, McLaren’s chaotic tendencies were a great attribution to the band’s early demise. He planted seeds for the band mates’ twisted perceptions of one another. It wasn’t long before Glen Matlock, the only real musician in the band at that time, was forced out of the band, only to later be replaced by the reckless and inexperienced Sid Vicious. The basis for McLaren’s calculated manipulations of the band have often been credited to the self-preservation of his own success. It is suggested that he viewed the Sex Pistols not as a rock and roll band, but a Situationist-style art project.  McLaren had even been quoted as saying: “”I decided to use people, just the way a sculptor uses clay” (Legacy). Much of these accounts have been recorded in the 1980 mockumentary The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle.

One of the biggest questions that arose during the presentation regarded the true nature of what the punk movement really meant. For some it merely revolves around a genre of music. However, Buchanan suggests that it is a sub-culture that is much greater than music. The Sex Pistols were the voice of a lost generation in a time of future-less concern for England. While the “in your face” style of music were all the band was concerned about at the time, the mark that was left is irreplaceable. They crafted a scene and were the voice for a voiceless and frustrated youth. Even in the face of adversity and being stamped with the stigma of controversy, the Sex Pistols’ impact reached far beyond the realm of music. While the music still remains relevant forty years later, it was the uprising of a movement that will always embody the legacy that is the Sex Pistols.